Final answer:
During Reconstruction, most African Americans elected to public office were affiliated with the Republican Party, which was seen as the party that had freed the enslaved and advocated for their civil rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The political party of most African Americans elected to public office during Reconstruction was the Republican Party. After the Civil War, the Republican Party, known as the party of Lincoln, was credited with freeing the enslaved and advocating for legal rights for Black people. Their commitment to ensuring fundamental human rights for all made them the favored choice among African Americans in the postwar period, particularly during Reconstruction. Despite the racism evident within the party, the Republicans stood against worsening the legal and social position of Black individuals, and many African Americans involved in politics aligned with this party due to its stance against slavery and its efforts to integrate freed slaves into society.
By contrast, the Democratic Party, which had largely supported slavery before the Civil War, opposed postwar efforts to integrate African Americans and maintained a stance of white supremacy, especially in the Southern United States. It was not until later, during the Great Depression, that a significant realignment occurred when Democrats started to include African Americans in their national coalition. The Free Soil Party, while historically significant for its anti-slavery stance, was no longer a major political force by the time of Reconstruction, having merged into the Republican Party during the 1850s.